Artifact Reading Inspector

Chapter 17: Unrecorded Legacy (2)

They went outside where a middle-aged woman with a young female attendant was watching an artifact. She seemed to be in her early 40s. Her clothes, accessories and bag looked expensive. She had to be Yang Sojin.

However, her young attendant wasn’t wearing Korean makeup. She was probably Japanese.

“Huh? You’re here already?”

Sungjun’s daughter was also next to Sojin. Haejin had almost forgotten about her.

“I told you to stay home… don’t cause unnecessary trouble.”

“Why-why would I? I also majored in art. Stop ignoring me!” she yelled, but she also looked away as if she knew of her behavior yesterday.

“I will really ignore you if talk to me so rudely again. I am not a Hwajin’s employee. Understand?”

“Huh! Well, fine. You’re so full of yourself…”

She pouted her lips and turned her head away. Everyone, watching this, was amazed. They had never seen her acting like this.

“Oh, Hyoyeon, you know Mr. Haejin?” Eunhae asked surprised.

Sungjun’s daughter was called Hyoyeon who then answered without looking back.

“I was there when he talked with my father yesterday. Don’t ask further any further. Anyway, is this what you want?”

Yang Sojin didn’t answer the question directed to her. She locked her eyes with Haejin.

“Did the Vice Chairman send you?”

“Yes, have you not brought the item?”

“No, it is too precious for it to be taken around for appraisal. After the deal is struck, it will then be moved to where Mr. Lim wants with the help of experts and equipment.”

“I hope I don’t have to go to Japan.”

Haejin clearly showed that he found it annoying. Sojin was a little surprised, Haejin was working for Vice Chairman Lim Sungjun of Hwajin, but he looked like someone who was going to the supermarket because his parents ordered him.

“No. I have it in my gallery.”

“That’s good. Anyway, is this what your boss wants?”

The artifact Sojin had been watching was a small teacup, a Blue Flower White Porcelain. Its bold bamboo pattern was impressive, but it was weird that it didn’t seem to have an artistic value as great as the Greyish-Blue-Powdered Celadon, which Haejin saw in the photo.

“He is not my boss. He is my client.”

Sojin was offended and corrected him. However, Haejin didn’t even look at her.

“All the same… then shall we go to see the celadon?”

“Have you already finished appraising this?”

To appraise the teacup properly, Haejin had to lift it up to see the bottom and the heel, he also had to study the condition of the glaze and look for traces of restoration. However, he just took a quick look and suggested that they should go, so everyone else was shocked.

“I’m half done. I will see the Greyish-Blue-Powdered Celadon and come back to finish.”

“What the… hu… okay. It’s only five minutes away from here by foot, so let’s walk.”

Sojin’s face said, ‘What kind of man is he?’, but Haejin appeared so confident, therefore she had to back off.

They left Saeyeon Gallery and arrived at Hanbit Gallery five minutes later. It was a luxurious white building. The most famous galleries and art museums in Korea were in the Bukcheon and the Insadong area.

The size of Hanbit Gallery was smaller than Saeyeon Gallery, which was legally an art museum.

However, the interior was enough to imply that the place wasn’t for ordinary people.

The exhibition schedule was written at the entrance, but there was no schedule today. There was no artifact inside.

“It’s empty.”

“We’re preparing for our next exhibition.”

“It’s about Eastern paintings, right?”

“Yes. We have a few decent paintings, so please come if you have the time.”

She was answering like a robot as if asking ‘You are not going to really come, are you?’.

Apart from Haejin’s capability, Sojin didn’t like that a commoner had entered the place for the rich and the powerful.

“I don’t know if I will have the time but, if I do, I’ll drop by. I hope you won’t kick me out for really coming.”

Hyoyeon, who was following them behind, laughed.

“Of course not. This way, please.”

She led the group to the deepest part of the gallery.

“Haha…”

Byeongguk was the first to react when they saw the Greyish-Blue-Powdered Celadon. Although he didn’t have a discerning eye like Haejin’s late father, he had lived as a grave robber for decades. The moment he saw the real celadon, he recognized that it was extraordinary.

Sojin stopped Byeongguk from approaching it and looked at Haejin. It meant he should quickly appraise it.

In fact, Haejin had come here first because he wasn’t sure which artifact he should use his magic on.

His mana wasn’t enough to use magic twice, so he might collapse in the gallery.

However, the moment he saw this Greyish-Blue-Powdered Celadon, he decided where he should use the magic.

“Judging from its shape with an ample shoulder and a narrow waist, it was made after the 17 th century. This free pattern also shows that it was made in a Minyo, a stove for ceramics used by ordinary people, instead of a Gwanyo, a stove that was for making ceramics for the government. Ceramics like this, those made in the 17 th century and baked in Minyo, are rare. Especially ones with a perfect shape like this.”

Sojin smiled with satisfaction for the first time.

“I know that the Vice Chairman sent you, but I have been doubting you because you are so young. However, you immediately recognized its value. It was clearly made by the greatest artisan of the time. That is why I would never sell it for money.”

Haejin took the white gloves from Eunhae and started to examine the celadon. It was 50cm tall, so it weighed quite a lot. Byeongguk carefully lifted it so that Haejin could look at the bottom.

About 15 minutes later, Haejin took off the gloves and gave them back to Eunhae.

“Thank you. Now, let’s go back.”

“Are you saying that you are finished?”

“No. I haven’t finished appraising the teacup, so I should go back to it.”

Sojin wan apparently annoyed.

“Haa… fine. The way you work is very inconvenient.”

Sojin did not look happy about this but, even though she complained, she returned to Saeyon Gallery with them.

Haejin then took the gloves from Eunhae and approached the teacup, but he asked in advance for a cup of water and dipped his finger into it.

With that finger, he drew on the glass box and casted the magic. It was a spell that showed the past of the item.

Soon, the aftereffect of a momentary headache and nausea faded. His legs didn’t lose much strength like before, it was getting better.

Haejin kept looking at the teacup. He then put it down and looked at Eunhae.

“We should talk. And you too, talkative lady.”

Haejin didn’t want to be with Hyoyeon, but she was practically the representative of Sungjun. So, he had no choice.

“I’m not talkative… I’ve been still.”

The group including the complaining Hyoyeon went back into Eunhae’s office, except for Sojin.

“Well? Is the Greyish-Blue-Powdered Celadon worth the trade?”

“I don’t know. Anyway, why haven’t you sold that yet?”

Haejin didn’t mind Eunhae’s question and asked what he wanted to know.

“What? You mean the Blue Flower White Porcelain? Actually, it came here only a while ago, so…”

Haejin couldn’t understand Eunhae’s answer.

“It has been here only for a while, and a rich Japanese who knows a lot about antiques picked it up for a trade?”

“Actually, I can’t understand it either. I started running this gallery two years ago, and I bought that porcelain from someone I know in Insadong. It wasn’t that expensive, but it was the first artifact I bought, so I would say I got attached to it. So, although there were a few people who wanted it, I refused to sell it.”

“There were people who wanted it?”

“Yes, but now that I think about it, there was something weird. About a month ago, someone asked me to sell it even though it didn’t have a price tag. So, I told him that it wasn’t for sale and he then asked me why… he told me to name the price and that made me wonder… what if it is a really valuable artifact? So…”

“So?”

“I asked this to some of the appraisers I know of, and they all told me that it was made in the 16 th century. Of course, it is worth a lot, but not that much. So, I was confused. A week ago, the Vice Chairman then suggested the trade, saying that there was a good piece.”

Haejin was curious about something. Sungjun had spoken as if Saeyon Gallery was his but, judging from what Eunhae said, Sungjun couldn’t give the order. He then asked a question.

“He doesn’t own this gallery?”

“It is my dad’s.”

Hyoyeon spoke before Eunhae could answer. However, Haejin didn’t even glance at Hyoyeon and kept looking at Eunhae. Hyoyeon was still a kid who knew nothing, so Haejin couldn’t expect an answer from her.

“Actually, this gallery is the only thing my grandfather left to me. Of course, it was built with Hwajin’s money, but I have the biggest share. Of course, I cannot make decisions on my own. You know what I mean.”

Of course, he did. That was why Sungjun asked for his help.

“Hmm… so, the Vice Chairman cannot force you to sell the teacup, and he and Yang Sojin had agreed to trade the two valuable artifacts. Then, have you also accepted this?”

Eunhae glanced at Hyoyeon and carefully spoke.

“When I saw the celadon, I thought it might be fine.”

She carefully said that because Hyoyeon was there. However, it also meant she didn’t like the deal until she saw the photo.

“You bought that teacup at a low price, so getting that celadon, worth billions, is a good deal.”

“Yes. The recent exhibitions haven’t turned out well, so I have been feeling bad about it. If I make it up with this deal, the board would also like it and, honestly, when I saw the celadon earlier, I thought it will raise the reputation of this gallery.”

“So, are you going to trade it?”

The impatient Hyoyeon chimed in, but she looked away from Haejin’s cold gaze.

“Ha, you are just showing off… ah, so you are not going to trade?”

“Yes, you shouldn’t.”

Everyone was surprised to hear Haejin’s unexpected conclusion. Eunhae was also shocked, as she wanted that celadon they had seen earlier.

“Why?”